Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/03/06

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Subject: [Leica] Re: Contarex, Linhof, Alpa
From: Jim Brick <jimbrick@photoaccess.com>
Date: Mon, 06 Mar 2000 08:19:35 -0800

At 04:57 AM 3/6/00 -0800, Mark Rabiner wrote:
>><Snip> 
>I miss the cha-chunk of my Contarex Bulleye's shutter!
>Has there ever been more solid of a camera ever built? Linhof? Alpa?
>Mark Rabiner

For many years, I knew, very well, the owners of Pignon SA (Alpa), Samuel
Bourgeois (father) and Benjamin Bourgeois (son). I visited them in
Ballaigues, Switzerland regularly. I spent many a day, in the machine shop
and camera assembly area of Alpa. The body shell (two parts) is machined
out of a solid block. It is not cast. I have a "raw" 10d body that just
came out of the NC mill that made it. I believe you could drive a tank over
the Alpa body incurring insignificant damage. Well,,, maybe not a tank. But
believe me, it is a strong camera body.

Jim